Coke removal



raientd'nu s, 1944 assignors to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, 111.. a corporation of Indiana Original application November 16, 1939, Serial No.

304,790. Divided and this application February 15, 1941, Serial No. 379,090

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improved apparatus for the removal of solid coke from reaction chambers or soaking drums and, more particularly, it relates to apparatus effective for the removal of solid coke from reaction drums by the use of jets of water at high pressures.

In the refining of petroleum "oils it is often customary to distill the heavy residual portion of the crude oil at high temperatures whereby the oil is converted partly into low boiling hydrocarbons, such as'gasoline, and partly into coke.

This is ordinarily carried out in a reactor or coking drum which may vary in diameter from about 6 or 8 feet up to 16 or .20 'feet or even more. Various means have been employed and suggested for the removal of solid cokeg from the drums. For example, the drums may be filled with coils of cable prior to coking, the coils being anchored by light wires or chains so that by pulling the cables the anchors are ruptured and the finished coke dislodged. One form of apparatus for such a process is set forth in United States Patent Number 1,825,374. Another proposed method is to blast out the coke by a dynamite charge as set forth in United States patent Number 1,927,059. Still another suggested means for removing coke is to install in the coking drum, prior to coking, lattice work of material capable of being charred so that lines or planes of breakage are formed by the disintegration of the lattice as set forth in United States Patent Number 1,980,218. Various other means have been employed and patented. Recently the use of jets, of water at high pressure for the removal of coke water jets discharged through cutting nozzles set at an angle and capable of enlarging the drill hole from eight to twelve inches to approximately two to three feet. This operation is usually necessary in order to provide a space sufiiciently large to accommodate the final cutter.

This final cutter consists of two sets of nozzle arms, the upper jets therefrom being used for tical axial line.

making a cut through the coke bed to the wall of the drum while the lower jets out along the wall of the coke drum between the coke and the shell in order to separate the coke mass from the reactor. The cuts are initiated at the lowermost portion of the coke mass and the cutter assembly raised after each successive out has been made.

As heretofore practiced, the final nozzle assembly comprises a pipe for the water supply terminating in two long adjustable arms to which are attached nozzles for directing the water stream in a solid unbroken jet against the coke mass. At a predetermined height above the lower cutting arms are located fixed horizontal arms, shorter than the lower nozzle arms, with nozzle attachments for directing the water jet against the coke mass. The nozzles in both cases are offset so that the reaction from the streams of water rotates the-nozzle assembly, thereby making a circular cut through the coke mass. As the coke is cut into layersand away from the reactor walls by the revolving jets, it breaks away and falls to the bottom of the chamber where it is discharged from the drum.

Experience has shown that quite often the center hole produced by the initial cutter or boring tool is off center, i. e., it slants from a ver- Scmetimes it is so far oii center that the pipe holding the cutters hangs almost against one side of the hole, and the nozzle arms project beyond the edges of the initial cut, thereby impeding or preventing the cutting assembly from being raised. Also, the hole is never a clean, smooth cylindrical bore but is only roughly circular, of varying diameters and with lumpy projections or pits at haphazard locations.

As a result, the top nozzles and arms as well as the lower ones often are caught in the coke and either cannot revolve or cannot beraised for the next cut. The projectionmust be cut off or, if this is impossible, then the water pressure must be shut off, the cutter lowered, a platform in- For example, the nozzle over, it is usually most important that the lower nozzle assembly be protected from falling coke since the cut is made between the upper nozzle assembly and the lower nozzle assembly.

Although we have illustrated the assemblies as comprising two nozzles and two by-pass pipes and the lower assembly as comprising two nozzles, it is-obvious that this may be increased to three or more nozzles and three or more bypass pipes on the upper nozzle assembly and increased to three or more nozzles on the lower assembly as the exigencies of the situation demand. Moreover, in place of by-pass pipes it may be desirable to make pipes l and 25 one continuous tubular member and to insert therein nozzles I1 and I8 as well as nozzles 39 and 40. In all events, however, it is desirable'that the nozzle arm assemblies occupy as little space and are confined as closely to the pipe as possible in order to avoid damage to the arms which would occur by extending them some distance from the pipe. An arrangement of long nozzle arms'also requires a much larger guard and makes the ample rather than by way of limitation, and our invention is not to be restricted thereto except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for the hydraulic removal of solid coke from a reaction chamber comprising in combination a hydraulic conduit, at least two tubular members communicating with said hyentire assembly more cumbersome and unwieldly.

'I'he most satisfactory method which has thus far been found is to keep the nozzles on short arms and to align the arms about the pipe rather than extend them at an angle to it. The short arms have fewer workingparts to get out oi adjustment and thus require maintenance. Unprotected long arms are always in danger of being knocked oil by falling coke, whereas short arms to some extent avoid this, due to a more compact and sturdier construction; The streamlined guards guide the assemblies around the projections, without difliculty, and deflect the falling coke from the arms. In order to permit the discharge ofany water which may condense or fall within the guard shells. 26 and 43, drainage openings 44, 45,16 and 41 are provided. More or less,than two drains may be obviously used in each guard.

The nozzles for the assembly may be of the type shown in the copending application of one of us (Ohlinger Serial No. 302,533) or may be any other nozzle effective for projecting an unbroken jet of water. at pressures above 1000 lbs./sq. inqand preferably above 1200 lbsL/sq. in. may be 01' the flat-varied straight-tube design, as shown in the copending application of one of us (Ohlinger Serial No.

Other nozzles suitable for this purposewill be known to one skilled in the art.

' This application is'a division ""irom our co-' pending application, Serial Nb. 304,790.

While our invention has been described by reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that this is by ex- I said nozz draulic conduit, said tubularmembers diverging at an .angle downwardly from said hydraulic conduit and so shaped that the axis of each of said tubular members is returned to a position parallel with the axis of said hydraulic conduit but at a distance therefrom, a nozzle attached -to each of said tubular members, said nozzles having their axes horizontal and at right angles to the axis of said hydraulic conduit, a pipe arranged coa'xially with said conduit, at leasttwo additional tubular members communieating with said hydraulic conduit and with said I as to extend downwardly and then transversely so as to crosseach other and terminating in an upward direction adjacent the axis of said pipe.

2. Apparatus for the hydraulic removal of solid coke from a reaction chamber comprising in combination a hydraulic conduit, a pipe, a plurality of tubular members communicating with said hydraulic conduit and with said pipe, said tubular members diverging at an angle downwardly from said hydraulic conduit and so shaped that the axis of each of said tubular members is'returned to a position parallel with the axis of said hydraulic conduit and said pipe but at a distance therefrom and thence converges downwardly to said pipe, Ts in at least two but in less than all of said tubular members, the single arm of said Ts being directed inwardly and at right angles to the axis of said hydraulic conduit, said T's being-adjustable to vary the turning torque, a nozzle attached to said single arm of each of said Ts, the axes of x les. being parallel with the axis of said single arm of said 1's, at least two tubular members extending from said pipe, and nozzles attached to said tubular members, said last-mentioned tubular members being so shaped as to ktend downwardly and then transversely so as Aug. 8, 1944. J. H. PALMER 4 2 TOOLHOLDER Filed April 14, 1943 FIG 2.

22 1 I I i l I 1 l' 24 if 26- Z i 2o-\ F 39 v 43 INVENT R 40 E 34 E\ ATTORNEY 

